Issue 26 – Fall 2018

Imran Khan, the presumptive next prime minister of Pakistan, addresses his supporters during a campaign rally in Lahore, Pakistan, July 23, 2018 (AP photo by K.M. Chaudary). Michael Kugelman Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018 Pakistan’s new government, which takes office on Aug. 18, will confront a raft of pressing challenges at home. They include a looming

Prof. Sudhanshu Tripathi 19 August 2018 Former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee left to his heavenly abode in utter dismay and anguish of all; not only Indians but all of his well-wishers in all over the world. Why is this so? Was he to remain here in this mortal world forever? It is here

N Sathiya Moorthy 16 August 2018 Independent of the promises of a fair and transparent verification of the draft list of four million people now left out of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC), the situation can deteriorate unless wholesale solutions are found, before it became too late. If nothing else, if the Governments

By James M. Dorsey 13 August 2018 China, responding to United Nations criticism, academic and media reports, and an embarrassing court case in Kazakhstan, has come closer to admitting that it has brutally cracked down on the strategic north-western province of Xinjiang in what it asserts is a bid to prevent the kind

by Sidiqullah Sahel * August 2019 Italian Historian, Diplomat, Politician and the writer of Renaissance period Niccolo Machiavelli held that “Human nature is to glorify past cry over present and hope for a better and bright future”. His theory of human nature applies and suits the conditions of many countries in the world. Even

Tuesday, August 7, 2018 A few hours before the celebrated photographer Shahidul Alam was forcibly picked up from his Dhaka home by 25 plain clothes dressed Detective Branch officers, he gave a live skype interview to Al Jazeera about the ongoing student protests over road safety. A case has been filed against him under section 57 of

Image source: Digital Vidya by Mrittika Nandi 5 August 2018 Social Media is an innovative platform that offers diverse perspectives on the socio-political issue. It’s a camouflage of truth-falsity on any given situation with political or religious undertones. It’s a potential ground to shun other’s views through abusive or humorous trolling. But in

By Asanga Abeyagoonasekera 5 August 2018 “If the top beam is askew, the bottom beams will be crooked.” ~ Chinese proverb There is a plague in the streets of Sri Lanka. If this plague has not entered your door steps, your family will still pay an indirect price. Most of us were aware of

Is there any hope for minorities after the general elections of 2018? By Aftab Alexander Mughal 3 August 2018 On the 25 July, the Pakistani nation took part in the general elections to choose their political representatives. More than 105 million people cast votes for 849 national and four provincial seats. Imran Khan’s party,

Md. Shafiqul Islam and Md. Sohel Rana 1 August 2018 Introduction On 6 May 2018, the University of Dhaka held a seminar on “The Potential of Nuclear Power for Clean Energy and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Bangladesh” at its conference room of the Center for Advanced Research in Sciences which brought together

N Sathiya Moorthy 1 August 2018 With the Election Commission (EC) clearing the Joint Opposition candidacy of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader Ibrahim ‘Ibu’ Solih, the battle-lines are truly and clearly drawn for the 23 September presidential polls. Though incumbent President Abdulla Yameen (of PPM), who is seeking re-election under odd and controversial circumstances, had welcomed

Book Review by Mahfooz Alam 30 July 2018 “The World Bank defines corruption as the abuse of public offices for private gain.” Corruption is not a one size fits all phenomenon’s’. However, it has a variation to place to place, state to state and nation to nation. Political commentators believe that corruption has

Hari Prasad Shrestha 30 July 2018 An election is a formal collective decision-making procedure by which people choose a candidate to hold public office. Elections have been a reliable mechanism for modern representative democracy. In several countries with the weak rule of law, the primary cause why elections do not meet international standards of

By Arshad Mahmud 26 July 2018 Dhaka: The quota-induced agitation refuses to die down. Despite police action and Chhatra League (student wing of the ruling Awami League) goons cracking down on the anti-quota protagonists, the turmoil is spreading, causing a lingering headache for the government of Sheikh Hasina. The government, appearing somewhat befuddled